Kansas City, Kan. –UPDATE 9/5, 11:10 a.m. – The Kansas City Kansas Fire Department has estimated the damage caused by a Monday night fire at $90,000.
The cause is still under investigation. The fire department said in a news release that the home did not have any smoke or fire detectors.
A code enforcement official on the scene told 41 Action News that two of the three homes that were affected by the fire were unoccupied. The house that caught fire initially was apparently scheduled for demolition.
The fired department said that crews were on the scene within four minutes of the initial report and saw heavy smoke coming from a house.
The fire was under control within an hour and 15 minutes, and one firefighter was taken to a local hospital with minor burns. He has been treated and released.
The Red Cross is assisting five residents who were displaced.
A total of 27 first responders were on the scene.
---
ORIGINAL - A residential fire in the 700 block of Orville Avenue has left three homes damaged Monday night.
Eduardo Morales had lived in one of the homes for about five years.
The KCK Fire Department said the fire started in the house next door to Morales’ and spread to the homes beside it. Crews had to evacuate it and call in additional units to get the fire under control.
Morales said his he heard "some explosion and noises in the next house. I looked through the window and I saw it was on fire."
He told 41 Action News that he grabbed his 70-year-old mom, roommate and dog, then got out immediately.
BREAKING: Large house fire in KCK near 7th & Minnesota. Lots of smoke. Learning more. @41actionnews pic.twitter.com/wl654CBFLO
— Dia Wall (@DiaWall) September 5, 2017
Ricardo Balderrama, who lives down the street, watched the fire continue to burn with dozens of onlookers.
"It sounded like hissing. Like burning a bunch of wood and stuff," Balderrama said.
There’s no word yet on how bad the damage is to the homes. The Red Cross is assisting the residents who are displaced.
This is a developing story. Stay with 41 Action News for updates.
